On Stage Gaffes
As mentioned in previous posts, surprises constitute an occupational hazard when producing live theatre. The surprise could be pleasant or unpleasant, big or small. It could be noticeable or not by the audience. The subject of today’s blog: The audience knows something is amiss!
Sometimes thanks to the magic of theatre, a cast can press through a stretch of bad luck without the audience knowing a thing. At other times there is no recourse but to acknowledge that things are not going as planned. And in that moment a special bond is forever formed between audience and actors.
Case #1:
In this particular play three actors are on stage, acting as a Greek chorus to comment on the action taking place before them. The main character, a woman who has just been poisoned by her husband, is supposed to have a brief death scene, then the plot moves forward. Only it didn’t. The dying main character milked the scene for all it was worth, a technique also known as “hamming it up” or “chewing the scenery.”
Quick aside: Contrary to what the general public may believe, the best actors, the ones considered to be true professionals, are those whose performance is consistently true to the script and the direction, night after night, day after day.
You see, theatre is a team sport. You can’t say your line if the person before you doesn’t say his, any more than a football player can run for a touchdown if his teammate doesn’t give him the ball. So an actor who is dependable, who can be relied upon to give the same performance every time is someone to be trusted, who understands she is part of a larger effort.
Back to our dying wife, who until that moment had performed like clockwork. It will forever remain a mystery what happened in her brain that night. Did a neurotransmitter misfire? Did she lose track of time? Suffer a small seizure? No one knows. But she milked the dying scene for so long that one by one her colleagues on stage crumbled, dissolving into tears of laughter until they could stand it no longer and LEFT THE STAGE.
Audiences LOVE it when things like this happen. It’s a peek behind the curtain at the flesh and blood human beings who create stage magic each night. It’s a reminder that no one should take himself too seriously, lest he be taken down a peg by the theatre gods.
But the mistakes have to happen naturally and infrequently. The occasional crackup on stage? Generally acceptable as an example of human frailty. Consistent crackups on stage, especially if they are pre-meditated? Amusing but no longer real theatre.
Case #2:
The villainess in a comedy-murder-mystery failed to check her props before going on stage. Her purse was supposed to contain a gun with which she would threaten the male protagonist. That night the purse was empty.
The scene progressed to the point where the villainess reached menacingly into her purse and… nothing. Her eyes went wide in shock, a reaction her fellow actor registered immediately. Thinking quickly, he said “Are you going to kill me?” She responded “Yes, I’m going to beat you to death with my purse.” By now the audience was suspicious. “Hey, wait a minute…that purse doesn’t look deadly!” The awkward stage silence and the tinkle of audience laughter reached backstage, where a third actor leaped into action. He walked on stage, saying “What’s going on?” The villainess repeated her lame death threat, prompting the third actor to walk off stage, grab a gun, re-enter and hand it to the villainess, saying “Well at least do it properly!” And the show continued as if nothing was amiss. But the audience KNEW, yes they knew that they had just witnessed an actor being human.
Next week: Memorizing those lines!